Shopping for window shades

Today I went to a local bricks-and-mortar store to buy blinds. It is a local mom-and-pop that has been in business a long time. All they sell is blinds and they have a great reputation. They also have a showroom with lots of things on display. I felt sure that I would leave having ordered my first window shade and was ready to pay a little more just to be out of my misery.

After 2.5 hours, I finally left with no blind ordered. Even the saleswoman was overwhelmed and told me how hard it was to buy her own even though she sells them for a living. She confirmed what I've found - blinds are among the most complicated projects I've tackled so far in the house.

I couldn't find an option I liked for less than $200 for one window and with 12 windows and 3 doors there is no way I'm spending that much. Even that option was not great. The price for what I wanted was over $400 per window. In addition, they charge $60 PER WINDOW to measure and install. Installation is 4 screws - that's it. You can do it yourself, but at $400 per window they should throw that in! But of course, there is no way I would spend that.

It really shouldn't be so hard - I want some shade of off white, inside mount, top down, opaque with light coming in. The saleswoman was very helpful and really tried to find something for me even though I knew what I wanted. I decided to open the parameters since it looked like I couldn't get what I wanted for under $400 per window. I looked at 3 different brands of cellular shades, wood shades, roller shades, and a variety of others and the were still all over $200 per window. I can get them for less online, but I am concerned to buy them without seeing them first. Also, since you are measuring yourself, there is no guarantee and they are not returnable for any reason.

After I recovered from the ordeal, I spent 2 hours online trying to find shades. I learned a lot and found some good sites to buy from, but still no order.

Total time on windows and woodwork to date: 249.75 hours.